Method and device for the loading of ores



June 3, 1969 E. H. VINCENT METHOD AND DEVICE FOR THE LOADING OF ORES Original Filed Feb. 28, 1966 Sheet Immmorf-ficnna ll Khan? June 3, 1969 v N 3,447,702

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR THE LOADING OF ORES Original Filed Feb. 28, 1966 Sheet 3 or 4 FIG/2 Ivan-for- June 3, 1969 C N 3,447,702

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR THE LOADING OF ORES Original Filed Feb. 28, 1966 Sheet 3 of 4 FIG. 3

June 3, 1969 E. H. VINCENT METHOD AND DEVICE FOR THE LOADING OF ORES Sheet Original Filed Feb. 28, 1966 r v 20 /1 4 m m #2 En M 2 m 1 O /D1// M 2 I X 3/ V y 1 B B\ United States Patent M US. Cl. 214-41 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for regulating the flow of material from a passage, including a pair of plate means which respectively extend from the walls of the passage and into the opening thereof to normally block fio-w therethrough, each of the plate means being movable to and from its flow blocking position to permit selective discharge of the material from the passage.

This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 30,484, filed Feb. 28, 1966, now abandoned, and relates to the loading of ores, or optionally of material presenting the same problems, from a mass collected for example in a storage chute or hopper or in an underground hopper, constituted for example in a thin ore layer in mining workings.

The loading of the run of ores by gravity permits a very rapid loading of the lorries or wagons to take place, but presents serious problems on the one hand as regards the behavior of the elements constituting the loading chutes, as soon as the dimensions of the blocks become considerable, and on the other hand as regards the loading operation itself, as the existence of large blocks facilitates the formation of vaultings that it is necessary to dislodge by blasting.

The method of the invention consists in dividing the fiow bed into two portions: a lower layer intended to form the natural talus and normally not taking part in the flow, and an upper layer normally ensuring the flow. This method makes it possible, in the event of the normal gravity of the upper layer being arrested, to dislodge the lower layer by means of a partial evacuation, in such a way that the void thus created spreads nearer and nearer to the vault until by attack on the base, it destroys the arc-buttress or arc-buttresses that have obstructed the vein.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and economic chute, practically nonsubject to wear and tear, which allows blocks of several tons to pass, optionally limiting to the desired dimensions the larger blocks passing through the said chute, and able to stand up to the possible use of blasts to break up the large blocks in question.

According to a first embodiment of the invention a preferred device comprises a plane support surface intended to constitute the base of the natural talus determining the lower layer, and an auxiliary device adapted to evacuate a relatively slight fraction of the portion of the lower layer that rests on the said plane surface.

The upper layer is delimited in thickness either by the natural talus that it forms, or by a beam defining a passage section, and by the natural talus formed by the lower layer. The flow of this upper layer can be arrested by any normal chute closure device, i.e., hood, chain wall, prongs and so on. The lower layer will preferably rest on a plate that may have any positive or negative slope, provided the slope is lower than the natural flow slope of the product to be charged on the material con- 3,447,702 Patented June 3, 1969 stituting the plate. The said plate is provided with a vibrating driver, or one with alternating translation movement, or any equivalent device making it possible to evacuate a portion of this lower layer. In all cases the said device is of small dimensions, as it has only an auxiliary and episodic role to play in the course of the loading operation. Furthermore, as the major part of the plate is not submitted to abrasion, it may be constituted of a simple wooden plank.

According to a second embodiment of the invention the device has for its object to unite on the one hand the advantages of chain or similar closure systems, which by their weight increase the angle of the natural fiow talus, with on the other hand the advantages of what are called hood closures, which have the effect of decreasing the height of the layers that can flow freely.

With this object in view, the closure device of the invention has a first part constituted of an articulated panel or flap which abuts on the upper layer, and by the effect of its weight on this layer, due to its mass, optionally increased by weighting, tends to decrease the angle of the natural talus as a result of the action of the couple which tends to bring back this flap or panel or draft hood towards the vertical of the point of articulation. At the lower end of the said flap a substantially perpendicular shutter element extends, which tends to penetrate to a greater or lesser extent orthogonally into said upper layer and as a result supports a portion of the mass which tends to bring about the flow of the said layer, by reason of its interposition on the natural path of the latter.

The closure part that has just been described is provided to act on the upper layer, which normally ensures flow by gravity, but below the said closure part a second closure part, analogous to the first, may be pivotally arranged, having the effect of arresting the flow of the lower layer and consequently usable for determining the natural talus of this lower layer.

A third embodiment of the invention in operation results from a modification of the kinematics of the above, making it possible to simplify the device unit by omitting the driver. Furthermore, this brings about a reduced projection of the spout nozzle in the gallery, with the result that it is possible to reduce excavation opposite the hopper, or, still keeping the same excavation, to give more freedom for the positioning of the loading track.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, given by way of example and in no restrictive sense.

FIGURE 1 shows the section through a vertical plane passing through the line of steepest slope of the natural talus of the device according to the first embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a front view with device of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 shows in purely diagrammatic form the closure according to the second embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 4 represents a device analogous to that of FIGURE 3, but with modified kinematics.

In the example seen in FIGURES 1 and 2, the hopper is arranged between the vein walls of a relatively thin vein, the bottom of which is indicated at 1 and the roof at 2. What has here been called the lower layer is determined by the plate 3 which defines the natural slope that the section plane intersects along the line AB. In the drawing it has been supposed that the thickness of the upper layer is determined by the roof 2, but it could equally well be considered to be determined by the crown piece 4, represented by an angle iron of a frame, the posts of which are indicated at 5, the said frame constituting all or a portion of the framing supporting a part of the device unit as a whole.

part section, of the The plate 3 abuts on one side on the wall, to which it is anchored by any known, suitable anchoring device 5, and the out-of-plumb of the plate is supported by the beam 6 or the frame by support means or holding means of any suitable type, for example by adjustable cables. The plate can pivot about the shaft '7, so that it is possible to fix it in any position such as to be able to ensure that the flow of material coming from the upper layer will fall by gravity into the Wagon 8.

It can be seen from the drawings that the normal flow is arrested by a series of juxtaposed draft flaps or hoods 9, 9', 9", and so on, having at their lower part teeth or prongs as indicated at 10. These teeth or prongs are arranged perpendicularly to the plane of the said draft hoods, and are selected of suitable length.

The said draft hoods can be manipulated by means of a compensation bar, not shown, which makes it possible to raise them simultaneosuly by means of a cable 11, each draft hood being capable of rotating about a fixed axis of rotation 12.

Finally, at 13 a large block has been shown that is supposed to have arrested the flow on becoming wedged between the natural talus AB and the roof.

The plate 3 is constituted of a body 14 on which the driver 15 can move as a traverse-carriage being mounted on a plurality of wheel trains, one of which is seen at 16. The movement of the driver 16 is controlled by a jack, the cylinder 17 of which can be seen in the drawing, fixed in relation to the plate 3 and the rod 18, and articulated on the driver 15. The said jack is hydraulically or pneumatically operated, depending on the source of energy available.

The driver is articulated at 19 with a Slide 20, said slide for example being a parallelepiped sliding member in a type of box casing 21 which rests on the plate 3. The slide itself glides on a metallic plate 22 that constitutes a portion of the upper surface of the plate 3, the remainder of the said upper surface being conveniently of wood.

It will be observed that one could just as well have arranged the jack in the interior of the slide, but the arrangement shown is preferable, as it allows a reduction in bulk of the driver and its slide on the plate.

The device functions as follows: in the plan of FIG- URE 1 is shown the space defined by the line AB, the block 13, the roof 2 and the draft hood 9-, said space being filled with ore. However, if the block 13 is to be supposed to have arrested the fiow of the upper layer, this space would be void of ore, with a vault constituted in the region of the block 13.

It is in these circumstances, and if these circumstances alone, that the dislodging device of the invention will come into use, said device having no part to play when the loading operations follow their normal course, as then the hood constituted by the draft hoods 9 is the sole means for interrupting the flow when the wagon is loaded and for starting it up again when an empty wagon is placed in position.

Accordingly, only in the event of obstruction will one displace the slide from the right to the left of FIGURE 1, thus expelling a certain volume of ore, which falls into the wagon. The withdrawal of the slide will bring about the formation of a void, which normally causes the collapse of a portion of the lower layer into the void thus produced, and this collapse spreads nearer and nearer to the region of the block 13. In the majority of cases experience has shown that a few reciprocating displacements of the slide are sutficient.

One can make use of the limitation of the thickness of the upper layer by the roof or by the cap piece 4 in order to arrest at will any block of inadmissible size; for example a block that would not be acceptable by the crushing station. In the event of a blockage being produced, this can indicate the presence of a block of unacceptable dimensions, in which case, after checking the cause of the blockage, and on its being established that .4 there is indeed a block of unacceptable dimensions, resource will be had to the classic method of blasts, the robust nature of the device according to the invention making it possible to use this method without trouble.

As in the previous example, the device represented in FIGURE 3 shows the hopper 31, which is arranged in an inclined ore-layer and which opens out into a gallery 32. At 33 can be seen the lower layer intended to form the natural talus, and not normally taking part in the flow, whilst at 34 the upper layer, which normally takes care of the flow, is shown.

The plate defining the transverse dimensions of the lower layer 33 and consequently determining the natural talus that the ores tend to form, is illustrated diagrammatically by broken line at 35, said talus being shown in the drawing by a dot/dash line separating the layer 33 from the layer 34.

The closure comprises essentially a solid panel 36 which can, rotate about a horizontal axis 37 arranged in the vicinity of the roof of the gallery 32 and in front of the natural talus that would form as a result of the maximum thickness determined by the vein walls of the relatively thin layer used as hopper.

An element 38 extends perpendicularly or approximate ly perpendicularly to the panel 36, said element tending to penetrate to a greater or lesser extent orthogonally into the upper layer 34 and extending practically to the point 39, i.e., to the immediate vicinity of the natural talus formed by the lower layer 33.

The angle formed by the element 38 in relation to the element 36 is a function essentially of the granulometry and of the nature of the ore, and of the angle of the nature talus which the ore tends to form; similarly, the shape of the element 38 which may be constituted by prongs will-have to be such as to facilitate its penetration in the layer of ore that is flowing, so as to be able to arrest the said flow. In any case, the above-mentioned angle will have to be such that the thrust of the material acting on the element 36 does not tend to raise it, and that the arresting of the how effected by this element is not due to its weight, but simply to the fact that it has been 111- terposed in the said flow.

The characteristics of the unit should be determined such that the resultant of the forces exerted on the elements 36 and 38 passes through the point 37 when the end of the element 38 has reached the point 39.

The member for operating the closure has not been shown in the drawing, as the nature of the said member is outside the scope of the present invention; in any case, however, the use of pneumatic or hydraulic double action jacks is very strongly indicated, as the operation of the closure elements and the resistance which the flow can offer to the penetration of the element 35 necessitate, or can necessitate, quite considerable force.

Optionally the closure can comprise, widthwise, a plurality of elements like the one just described.

In an improvement on the idea of the invention there is provided below the first closure 36-38 a second closure of similar shape, constituted by a panel or flap 40 pivoting about an axis 41 and by a second penetration element 42, the end 43 of which, in the closure position, comes into the immediate vicinity of the wall 44 of the layer.

The pivot axis 41 is preferably arranged approximate 1y at the level of the element 38 in the closure position, as is indicated in the drawing. In a variation, this axis can be integral in movement with the closure 36-38.

As can be seen directly in FIGURE 3, instead of providing the Plate 35 with a driver to cause the collapse of the lower layer 33 if the flow of the layer 34 has been interrupted by a large block, it suflices to remove the front portion of the plate 35, either for example by a rotary movement about an axis 45, or by a translation movement in accordance with the arrow 46, bring about the collapse of a portion of the lower layer 33 into the space 47, normally void, located between the plate and the element 42.

Accordingly a local collapse of the lower layer 33 is brought about, which will repercuss and spread until it reaches the obstuction point of the layer 34, making it possible to break the vault, which more often than not is due to the presence of a block of normal size.

In the example that has just been given, the element 42 is located below the level of the plate 35, but in certain cases there would be advantage in adopting the reverse arrangement, i.e., the arrangement in which the plate 35 18 clearly below the element 42 in the closure position.

An arrangement is also possible wherein the closure is constituted by one or a plurality of flaps, at the base of each one pivots a shutter, the opening of the hopper taking place by raising the elements -42, which has the effect of restricting the fiow of gravity between the end 39 of the element 36-38 and the natural talus formed by the ore or the like. In the event of blockage, one will then raise the element 36-38, thus reestablishing flow of the ores or the like, or alternatively one will blast the excessively large block. These two arrangements make it possible, in any event, to dispense with the driver described in the previous example, and which is normally used to evacuate a portion of the lower layer 33 in the event of the flow of the layer 34 being arrested by an obstruction.

It has been indicated above that it is possible to make use of a single closure 36-38 or of a second closure 40-42, but there is nothing to prevent the use of a greater number of closures, if for example for reasons of height of the gallery or for facilitating operations, it is desired for example to divide the closure 46-48 into two or three closures of smaller dimension.

A third embodiment of the invention is shown diagrammatically in heavy lines in FIGURE 4, whereas the operating device described above for the second embodiment in accordance with FIGURE 3 is shown in fine lines. The reference numbers of the first embodiment (FIGURES 1 and 2) have been retained, increased by 100, for the corresponding elements for the solution of the second embodiment, shown in fine lines. The reference numbers relating to the third embodiment, shown in heavy lines, are the same as those for the solution of the second embodiment, shown in fine lines, but with the addition of 200.

Each device has two articulated elements, but it should be clear that the results are similar when each device has only the upper element.

The lower layer forming the natural talus has not been shown, but the lines AB/AB' are indicated, which denote the natural talus formed by the lower layer.

The articulation points are shown diagrammatically by means of circles.

On comparing the two devices shown, it will be observed that the difference resides in the fact that the first element, comprising a draft hood 109 and teeth or prongs 110 rigidly connected at 117 in the old device, is modified to the extent that the prongs are articulated at 217 in relation to the draft hood 209. It should be understood that the prongs of one and the same draft hood, are integral with each other, and form a unit 210 that is articulated at 217 on the corresponding draft hood. The member 210 as a whole is kept approximately horizontal, in the position of closure of the hopper, by a rigid extension 215, and the reaction of the weight of the ore which rests on the teeth 210 is received either by a rigid member 214 articulated at a fixed point 213, or by a flexible member 314 fixed at 315. The point 212 is an articulation point.

The second elements 119, 120-219, 220, respectively, are similar, the points 116 and 216 not being articulation points.

The opening of the hopper is brought about by applying tractive force at 121 in the direction of the arrow 1, in the case of rigid connection 214, and in the direction of the arrow f in the case of flexible connection 314. The new device has many advantages; it makes it possible to transfer the point 212 to the rear of the point 112 and thus to protect a very exposed joint, and at the same time it makes it possible to transfer the point 218 to the front of 118, which has the effect of increasing the upper layer. It can be seen from the drawing that if the distances a and a are equal or approximately equal, the distance b' from the point D of the roof to the slope AB of the natural talus is greater than the distance from D to AB.

This fact has a double repercussion: on the one hand, in the vicinity of the point D, the direction of the flow tends to adjust itself from F towards F, and consequently the arris of the roof is left subjected to erosion; on the other hand, the risk of the formation of vaults is decreased, with the result that one can reduce the thickness of the lower layer. Accordingly the plate which supports and determines the lower layer, with its driver device as described in the first embodiment (FIG- URE 1), loses some of its significance. This plate has been indicated on the drawing now considered by the reference number 103, with the discharge spout A in the wagon 108, these references becoming respectively 203, one can omit the driver.

Normal discharging takes place by the operating of the element 219, 220, which furthermore facilitates a normal flow in the direction of the arrow F. If a vault forms, the element 209, 210 will be operated in order to break it, so that it will be possible to collapse the vault as a consequence of the increase in the flow section.

A further advantage of the present device is to be seen in the reduced projection of the spout nozzle in the hauling and loading section of the gallery, with the result that it is possible to reduce excavation opposite the hopper, or, still keeping the'same excavation, to give more freedom for the positioning of the loading track.

What is claimed is:

1. A method for loading ores by gravity comprising:

(a) determining a vein of flow in the direction of the natural angle of repose of the ore to be loaded;

(-b) placing a barrier at the lower part of the flow to block said part and to determine a lower layer which does not normally take part in the flow and an upper layer in which the flow of ore to be loaded normally occurs;

(c) placing at least a control layer;

(d) opening and closing the control gate across the upper layer as needed to load cars under it;

(e) dislodging said lower layer by means of partial evacuation in the event normal flow by gravity in the upper layer is arrested.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the dislodging is accomplished by pushing along the upper surface of said barrier the portion of the lower layer which is in the immediate vicinity of said surface.

3. A device for loading ores by gravity comprising a hopper, a discharge passage from said hopper, a lower control barrier across said discharge passage of sufii- -cient height to retain a lower layer of ore normally motionless in said passage during a discharge whereby the upper surface of said lower layer will lie along the natural angle of repose, at least an upper control gate mounted for movement across said discharge passage to permit or impede the gravity flow of that portion of the ore in the passage which lies above the upper surface of said lower layer and means to dislodge the portion of the ore retained immediately above said barrier when the normal gravity flow is accidentally blockedupstream.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein said upper control gate across said upper gate is mounted for movement to rotate about a substantially horizontal shaft.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein said dislodgin-g means is a pressurized fluid actuated piston disposed to push said portion of the ore along the upper surface of said barrier, the control gate being in the opened position.

6. The device of claim 3, wherein said gate means comprises at least two portions, at least one of which is a flap articulated about a horizontal axis and at least one other portion which is a shutter integral with the lower part of said flap and articulated about a horizontal axis located in the vicinity of the distal end of said flap, whereby the gravity flow of said upper layer may be varied.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1902 Hoover et a1. 21417 10/1916 Rapp 222556 XR 1/1923 Hill 222502. 6/1929 Baker et a1. 214-17 3/ 1950 Schellentrager 222-5O3 3/1964 Schuette 222-502 US. Cl. X.R. 

